“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 20:18 Mean?
"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death." The third and most detailed passion prediction. Jesus names specific participants: chief priests and scribes. He names the specific verdict: condemned to death. He names the sequence: betrayal → religious trial → condemnation → Gentile delivery → mockery → scourging → crucifixion → resurrection (v. 19). Every step is previewed with precision. Jesus doesn't walk into Jerusalem surprised by what happens. He walks in with a complete itinerary of his own death.
"Behold" demands attention: look at this. Pay attention. What I'm about to say is the most important thing I've said on this road. We go up to Jerusalem — and this is what happens when we get there.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does Jesus' detailed foreknowledge of his own death teach about the voluntary nature of the cross?
- 2.How does the 'we go up' (inclusive) change the disciples' relationship to what's about to happen?
- 3.Where are you walking toward something you can see coming — and how does Jesus' courage model yours?
- 4.What makes Jesus' three passion predictions escalate in specificity each time?
Devotional
Behold. We go up to Jerusalem. And here's what happens when we arrive: betrayal. Religious trial. Death sentence. Gentile execution. Mockery. Scourging. Crucifixion. Resurrection. Jesus lays out the complete itinerary of the next week — the most significant week in human history — while walking on the road.
The specificity is the courage. Jesus doesn't say: something bad might happen. He says: here are the names of the people who will do it. Here is the verdict they'll render. Here is the method they'll use. Here is who they'll hand me to. And here is what happens on the third day. The entire Passion narrative is previewed on the Jericho road.
We go up. Jesus includes the disciples: WE go. Not: I go and you watch from a distance. We go up to Jerusalem together. The same disciples who will scatter at the arrest are told: you're going with me. The journey to the cross is a group trip. The fact that the group will abandon Jesus at the critical moment doesn't prevent Jesus from including them in the we.
The Son of man shall be betrayed. Passive voice again. Shall be betrayed — by Judas, by the religious establishment, by the political system, and ultimately by the Father's plan. The betrayal has multiple agents but one architect. Jesus isn't caught in a conspiracy he didn't see coming. He's walking into a plan he authored before the foundation of the world.
Behold. The word forces you to stop and look. Jesus is telling you — not just the disciples, you — what happens in Jerusalem. The cross isn't an accident. It's a behold. An event so significant that Jesus previews it three times on the way there. Look at this. Don't miss it. What happens next is everything.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles,.... To Pilate, an Heathen governor, and to the Roman officers and soldiers under…
See also Mar 10:32-34; Luk 18:31-34. And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem - That is, doubtless, to the Passover. This…
Observe the exactness of the prediction; the Sanhedrin shall condemn but not kill, the Gentiles shall scourge and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture